colin stetson & mats gustafsson - Stones

A veritable clash of the titans! As the label point out, "In the history of jazz and improvisation the saxophone duet is remarkably rare. Sax players tend to lock horns with drummers, bassists, trumpeters, even cellists and violinists, but rarely with each other." Factor in that these are two of the world's heavyweights - Gustafsson's played with Jim O'Rourke, Sonic Youth, Derek Bailey; Stetson's a f**king beast - and you've got a very seductive proposition for far-out heads. 'Stones' documents their encounter live on stage at the 2011 Vancouver Jazz Festival feeding off each other's energies in skilled dialogue to sound like a herd of panicked wilderbeast corralled to the slaughterhouse at the apex of 'Stones That Rest Heavily', while 'Stones That Can Only Be' features some breathtakingly (pun intended) dextrous rapid-fire ostinatos and dizzying dynamics. By the time of 'Stones That Need Not' you're equally impressed by the sheer athletic ability, not to mention their expressive control, and the blaring final blow 'Stones That Only Have' will leave you floored.